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100 gram Spark competitor

Andre Levite

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Jun 18, 2018
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There have been many, many members of this site clamoring for a Spark that weighs less to obviate the need for FAA registration. It's coming soon...

Click the link. Watch the video. Post your thoughts.

Micro Drone 4.0

Initial thoughts...

Pro:
Weighs just 100gm
4.0 version (not just prototype)
Pre-order price just $125
Similar hardware specs to Spark

Cons:
Not available until June 2019
Not all software features of Spark
Unknown customer support
Longevity of company unclear
Crowd-funded always a risk
No 3rd party reviews yet

But more options are more better!
 
Gave it a quick read...from what I see it only uses optical flow and barometer, no GPS/GLONASS.

This implies on loss of signal it just lands, no RTH function.
 
Well it only make sense that at the 2 year mark new competitors to the Spark/Tello are going to hit the market. It will be interesting to see how/if DJI decides to compete (keep getting smaller or keep adding features). It all means that the future is full of fun and excitement for us users!:D
 
In my opinion seems like a good idea but no GPS and little to no weight..... Great for flying indoors but it would be almost impossible to control in 25mph winds like I flew spark in today. If they did this I would love to see how clear the pics and video would be with all the wind turbulence
 
I find it quite interesting. Very compact and
the video quality look good, for the price...
 

They can't review a drone that hasn't been released yet - so we will all have to wait and see how it performs.

But the fact the that it is not A GPS drone disqualifies it as a Spark competitor.

The manufacturer didn't actively conceal that lack of GPS. Lots of folks (including myself) assumed it did.

I still love my "GPS-free" Tello anyway...
 
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They can't review a drone that hasn't been released yet - so we will all have to wait and see how it performs.

But the fact the that it is not A GPS drone disqualifies it as a Spark competitor.

The manufacturer didn't actively conceal that lack of GPS. Lots of folks (including myself) assumed it did.

I still love my "GPS-free" Tello anyway...

It wasn't a review ... and I couldn't find anything in the article that was factually incorrect. Given the history of the drone's manufacturer I think it's prudent to treat this offering with caution.
 
It basically looks like a beefed up version of a Tello to me. They did not mention the price of the controller accessory and at a retail price of the drone plus whatever the price of the controller and the fact that at this price point that it has geared brushed motors makes it a bit overpriced for it's features. Just my opinion.
 
It could be ok, I’ve looked around for a FPV type quad, not to fly fpv but as a 100 gram alternative to the spark. Aiming for something that is better than a Tello. On board recording in 1080p, superior flight control in wind, better signal range.
So far the compromises are, It won’t have any sensors, or a gimbal, flight time is less than 8 minutes. Because the most ideal quad found so far has to have its camera replaced & an circuit board added for the SD card. I would have to build it & hope that it performs well.
There is a new trend of “cinematic whoop” its possible that a Chinese factory is going to sell the perfect quad, ready to bind to a spectrum radio.
 
Has anyone looked at the simtoo xt175 fairy. I was looking for something I could fly whilst sitting in my garden in a very built up area, without falling foul of the various "not alloweds". It is a Simtoo XT175 fairy. I love the thing. It is gps, fpv, hd camera although no gimbal, and is really well built. Its a bit over £140 and is really very stable. It weighs only 140gm. The problem I have is that after sometimes only a few minutes flying, it will suddenly either decide to rth or worse just land where it is. I'm fairly sure it is something to do with the app that Simtoo use with it. If I just fly the thing without the app, ie. No fpv, it is good, but I have no telemetry info, battery info, gps info etc. etc.
 
I have already been bitten once, on the Fairy drone that launched on Kickstarter that turned out to be a waste of £120
once bitten
 
dont buy into the crowd funding thing its a waste of your money... and a money grab for these people.... wait for a commercially availible one or just build one yourself there is open source software thats far better than djis you can have sensors galore... and gps with mission planner or a fpv racer drone... same thing as dji drones in fact dji stole the ideas from 3drobotics back when they did it first with a arduino and mission planner and its open source ....
 
Well it only make sense that at the 2 year mark new competitors to the Spark/Tello are going to hit the market. It will be interesting to see how/if DJI decides to compete (keep getting smaller or keep adding features). It all means that the future is full of fun and excitement for us users!:D
They already have an EDU version of teh Tello but you can only get it direct or from Apple. It has some interesting programming capabilities.
I *almost* pulled the trigger on this thing but with shipping and an unknown price on accessories I rapidly came to my senses. Drones are like drugs - always one more to tempt you ;)
 
I have already been bitten once, on the Fairy drone that launched on Kickstarter that turned out to be a waste of £120
once bitten
Is that the one that would wrap around your wrist? They certainly made that one look cool...
 
[QUOTE="Locutus40,] build one yourself there is open source software thats far better than djis you can have sensors galore... and gps with mission planner or a fpv racer drone... same thing as dji drones in fact dji stole the ideas from 3drobotics back when they did it first with a arduino and mission planner and its open source ....[/QUOTE]
Funny how the fpv fliers think they are superior pilots because dji products are easy to use. All the components to replicate a dji products performance are available in fpv form, (not the camera gimbal). Dji were the company to see a niche & assemble products RTF to fill the niche
 

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